Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
To oversimplify matters, I think of Internet backup services as falling
into two main categories: self-contained (meaning they supply the
software) and BYOS (bring-your-own-software). These are my rather
arbitrary labels, but I think they provide a useful way of slicing up
the landscape.
HIPAA and Cloud Backups
In the United States, the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) has provisions governing the security
and privacy of medical data. Similar regulations cover other
professions in which the confidentiality of client data is crucial.
I've heard it said that HIPAA rules out any sort of Internet backup,
but that is not the case. You just have to carefully follow the rules
(for which, peruse
this handy 117-page PDF guide
)
.
One of the main stipulations is that all data must be encrypted
at the source (that is, on your computer) in such a way that no
unauthorized person can decrypt it. Some cloud providers use such
an arrangement by default, some offer it as an option, and others
don't do it at all. To take CrashPlan as an example, its default
password setting would not be HIPAA-compliant, but you have
the option to use a private password or custom key, either of which
does meet the security standard.
You must also observe requirements about longevity of data storage,
traceability of changes, disaster recovery planning, and a number
of other issues. Ensuring HIPAA compliance with cloud backups is
not trivial, but it's absolutely possible. If you're bound by HIPAA or
similar rules, be sure to check with your backup provider to confirm
that it offers the necessary features and that your account has been
configured in a HIPAA-compliant manner.
Self-contained Internet Backup Services
The Internet backup services in this category that seem to have
reasonably good Mac support at the moment include the following:
•
Backblaze:
This service
charges $5 per month or $50 per year (per
computer) for unlimited data storage. Setup is almost trivially easy,
and I've found it to be both speedy and reliable. By default, the
software backs up all your important files without requiring
